dairy definition - Dictionary

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dairy

dair·y [ dérree ]

noun (plural dair·ies)

Definition:

1. farm for milk production: a farm that produces milk and milk products

2. place to store milk and cream: a room or building where milk and cream and sometimes other perishables are stored

3. place to make butter and cheese: a room or building where butter and cheese are made

4. establishment that sells or processes milk: a commercial establishment that processes, sells, or distributes milk and milk products

5. dairy products: dairy products collectively

6. regional dug-out hole: a space dug out in the side of a hill

adjective

Definition:

1. relating to milk products: relating to, producing, or containing milk or milk products

2. judaism concerning foods in Jewish dietary law: relating to those foods, including milk products, eggs, fish, and vegetables, that Jewish dietary law allows on occasions when milk is consumed

[13th century. < obsolete deie "woman servant, dairy worker" < Old English dæge "kneader (of bread)"]

Spelling Note


	dairy or diary? Do not confuse the spelling of dairy and diary. The word dairy is a noun and adjective referring to milk, cream, butter, etc., as in buy milk from the dairy, dairy farming, cheese and other dairy products. The word diary is a noun denoting a personal record of events or appointments, or a book used for this purpose.

Regional History


	In the sense "storage house or shed for storing milk and other perishables," dairy competes with dairy house, milk house, safe, spring, and springhouse. In the mountains, as in eastern Tennessee, the term dairy may signal a hole dug out in the side of a hill.